


I'm Right Here Next to You (This is Your Family Now)

by HumanDisAster03



Series: Dog Days Are Over [2]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Coming Out, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Margrave Gautier is a bad father, Protective Felix, The Blue Lions Find Out, mild homophobia, no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-16 10:41:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21506551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HumanDisAster03/pseuds/HumanDisAster03
Summary: Sylvain's father is coming to the monastery to convince Sylvain to get married to some noblewoman.The main problem?Sylvain's already engaged. To Felix. And none of the rest of the Blue Lions know yet.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Series: Dog Days Are Over [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1550173
Comments: 4
Kudos: 174





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I edited this, realizing the details were lackluster and the sentence structure was more redundant than conjugation practice on my Spanish homework.   
> I apologize to the people that read this before I changed it. I hope it's better now.

Felix looked over at Sylvain. When he was awake, Sylvain had trouble being genuine with most people (though he was getting better with Felix), but when he was asleep, Sylvain had no walls at all. He was vulnerable like this, unguarded in a way that he could never be when awake, a smile on his lips and no furrows in his brow. 

Felix's heart stuttered a little bit to think that Sylvain was willing to let his walls down in Felix's presence. Felix was definitely not a religious man, but he thanked the goddess that Sylvain loved him. Sylvain let so few people in, and Felix was forever grateful that he was one of them. 

Felix smiled softly, running his thumb across the engagement ring on his finger. He settled himself back into the bed, resting his head on Sylvain's chest. 

Felix did not fall back asleep, he just reveled in the feeling of being in Sylvain's arms. As sunlight peered through the window, Sylvain began to stir. Felix had gotten him in the habit of waking early since the end of the war, since Felix refused to stop training once the war ended, and Sylvain was a surprisingly light sleeper. 

When Sylvain woke up, he grinned at Felix. "Goddess, I love you, Fe."

Felix's face when bright red. "I love you too." At first, Felix struggled to admit that, but he had changed a great deal after the war, and telling Sylvain that he loved him wasn't quite as hard any more. Not knowing whether you're going to live from one day to the next, and never being sure that the man you love is going to be there the next day really forces a person to come face to face with the important things, and Felix decided that Sylvain knowing he was loved was one of the most important things of all. 

The two of them laid in bed peacefully for a moment, until there was a knock at the door. Since the room was technically Sylvain's, he cleared his throat and asked, "Who is it?"

Ingrid's voice responded, "It's me. The professor told me to tell you that your father is coming to the monastery today. He's going to be here around noon."

Sylvain's face instantly fell. His relationship with his father was extremely strained, and it wasn't hard for Felix to figure out what the Margrave was going to talk with Sylvain about: since the war was over, Sylvain was supposed to get married to some noblewoman his father picked for him. Nobody was aware of his engagement to Felix, not even the professor or Ingrid. 

Once they heard Ingrid walk away, Felix took Sylvain's hand and looked into his eyes. "Hey, it's going to okay. Your father can't control you. None of us are going to let him force you into a marriage you don't want. Especially me."

Sylvain's hands were shaking as he ran them through his hair. "Felix, what are we going to do? I know we said we weren't ready to tell people, but he's never going to leave me alone unless I'm already engaged to someone else." Sylvain hadn't even been thinking about his father when he decided to propose to Felix, and now the reality that he may have to choose between his father and the love of his life was right in his face. It scared him, but definitely not as much as it used to. "I think we need to tell him. It's the only way to get him off my back."

Felix brow furrowed in thought. "Well, if we are going to tell him, we should probably tell our friends first, or Ingrid is going to kill us, though, she might decide to kill us for not telling her we're together."

Flinching slightly, Sylvain rolled out of bed. "Alright, let's get this over with." Ingrid's anger was a sight to behold, and both Felix and Sylvian had been on the receiving end often enough to fear it. 

Felix rolled out of bed and got dressed while Sylvain put on his clothes. 

Once they were ready, they headed down to the dining hall for breakfast. Most of the people in the monastery were already there, and both Felix and Sylvain took a deep breath before walking inside. They sat down at the table with the rest of the Blue Lions, who seemed so much happier than they had been during the war. The professor looked at Sylvain with a hint of worry on her face, likely meaning that she was fairly concerned. "Are you doing alright? I know your relationship with your father is not the best." Byleth's concern for her students was evident to everyone who knew her, and she knew her students very well.

Felix and Sylvain made eye contact, and Felix subtly nodded. "Actually, about that. I have something to tell you before my father shows up." He cleared his throat. "Felix and I are engaged."

Ashe choked on his drink, Ingrid's jaw dropped, and Dimitri accidentally crushed the glass of water he was holding. Dedue, Mercedes, Annette, and the professor just nodded. Ingrid narrowed her eyes. "You aren't just doing this to get your father off your back, right?" Ingrid was the type to care deeply for her friends, but she had never tolerated their bullshit. 

"We've been together since right before the war started," Felix said bluntly. "We just never told anyone because no one needed to know. Sylvain also didn't want his father to find out." 

Mercedes nodded sagely. "Yes, I can't imagine he would be happy to find out. May I ask why you've decided to tell us now?"

Sylvain laughed nervously. "Well, my father is coming to the monastery today to discuss an arranged marriage, so we've decided to tell him that I can't marry whatever noblewoman he's chosen for me." 

Annette clapped her hands. "Ooh, can I help plan the wedding? I can ask Lysithea to make the cake. I know she makes the stuff that Felix likes, and it's probably best that I stay out of the kitchen."

Felix smiled at her. He'd always had a huge soft spot for Annette (and Lysithea for that matter). Her boundless enthusiasm, adorable smile, and hilarious songs made Felix think of her like a littel sister.

Mercedes beamed. "Oh, I'll help too, I love weddings!"

Sylvain nodded. "Sure, Mercie. You two can be in charge of planning. I don't really care about that part, I really just care about the part where I get to say 'I do.'" Mercedes and Annette 'aw'd at that, grinning widely.

The professor appeared to be deep in thought. "You may have some trouble getting people to officially recognize the marriage. I think the best course of action is for me to officiate, as the archbishop, and for Dimitri to take part in the ceremony in some way, as the king. If the wedding is approved by the two highest authorities in Fodlan, not many people would dare oppose."

Felix sighed, more for show than anything. "I guess the boar can be my best man." He crossed his arms and sunk back into his chair, but his sincerity was betrayed by the blush on his face. He may pretend that he hates Dimitri, but he really did care about his old friend. 

Dimitri's smile was wider than it had been in a long time. "Truly? I am honored, Felix. I would love to act as your best man." The young king had misty eyes and pulled Felix in for a tight hug. 

Ingrid was smiling softly at her childhood friends. "If Dimitri gets to be Felix's best man, I get to be Sylvain's maid of honor."

Sylvain's voice was a bit choked up when he responded, "Yeah, that be great, Ingrid."

The rest of the meal was filled with congratulations as the rest of the former students found out about the engagement. Sylvain had never been so happy in his life. 

However, the happiness did not last forever, as the gatekeeper entered the hall to announce: 

"Margrave Gautier has arrived."


	2. Chapter 2

Upon hearing the gatekeeper's announcement, Sylvain's heart sank. He knew that his father was never going to get his way, but Sylvain had never truly openly defied his father before. The idea was terrifying, and it was only made worse by the fact that this announcement was going to be a fairly huge one. 

Sylvain and Felix walked to the Knight's Hall, where the Margrave had planned to meet Sylvain. While they were still alone, Felix gave Sylvain's hand a gentle squeeze for reassurance. Sylvain's hands were still shaking, but there was a certain degree of confidence on his face that had been absent before. 

When the Margrave entered, Sylvain squared his shoulders. "Hello, father, to what do I owe this visit?"

The Margrave looked over at Felix. "I have nothing but respect for the new Duke Fraldarius, but I think it might be best for this conversation to be between the two of us."

Felix stepped forwards. "Anything you can say in front of Sylvain, you can say in front of me."

Sylvain nodded. "Felix stays."

The Margrave clenched his jaw, but relented. "Fine. Sylvain, the war is over and it's time to get serious about your responsibilities. You must have an heir to inherit the Lance of Ruin. I have received an offer from a former alliance nobleman. His daughter bears a crest, and I believe that you are on friendly terms with her, a rarity when dealing with you. I believe her name is Hilda, the younger daughter of House Goneril."

Sylvain almost gagged at the suggestion. "First of all, I would never marry Hilda. She's a friend, and a friend only. Besides, father, I can't marry anyone that you've found for me. I am already engaged."

His father raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I was not aware of any engagement. And to whom, may I ask?"

Felix took a deep breath before saying, "Me."

The Margrave was taken aback. "Excuse me, did I hear that correctly?"

Sylvain nodded. "I've been engaged to Felix since about two weeks after the war. The archbishop and the king are already on board. Professor Byleth has offered to officiate, and Dimitri is going to be Felix's best man."

"Sylvain, think about this for a moment. Are you really willing to throw everything away? You have a duty to your kingdom to have an heir with a crest. You have a duty to House Gautier."

At these words, Felix exploded. "Sylvain has done his duty a thousand times over. He fought a war for this kingdom. He was forced to kill his own brother out of duty to House Gautier. He owes you nothing. He never did."

Margrave Gautier looked incredulously at the young Duke Fraldarius. Felix's eyes were filled with anger, and he was not going to back down. "Sylvain had to endure constant torture from his brother and constant berating from you. I've had enough of the way you treat him. Sylvain is a human being, not a fucking crest, and he deserves to be treated like it. You and your family didn't, so now I will."

Sylvain had tears in his eyes. No one had ever defended him like that before, especially not to his father. 

The margrave's eyes narrowed. "Young Duke Fraldarius, it seems as if you have no idea how this world works. We need the Lance of Ruin. We need the Crest of Gautier. The border faces near constant dispute, and the only thing that keeps Sreng at bay is the knowledge that we possess a weapon superior to anything they can come up with."

From the shadows, the professor stepped forwards.

Her voice as regal as any archbishop should be, she announced, "That may have been the world before this war, but the world is different now. Edelgard may have been wrong about many things, but one thing she had right was that the crest system hurts everyone who is a part of it. As the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros, I am working along with King Dimitri to help make crests irrelevant. Plenty of my students without crests have held their own alongside the students with crests, and I'm sure that the situation with Sreng cannot be dealt with by non-crest bearers. I shudder to think of anyone telling Dorothea Arnault that she can't do something."

Sylvain took a shuddering breath and finally found the words to say what he needed to say. "Father, I'm done. If you decide that I can't be the next Margrave Gautier unless I can have an heir by blood, then I don't want to be the next Margrave Gautier. You, mother, and Miklan were never my family, so I have no problem turning my back on you. Felix, Ingrid, Dimitri, the professor, and all of the friends I've made here are my family. I would turn down a thousand titles in a heartbeat for any one of them. I am going to marry Felix, and there is no force on this planet, even the goddess herself, that will stand in my way."

Felix nodded and took Sylvain's hand, and from the doorway, Dimitri cleared his throat. "Margrave Gautier, I understand that you have done a great deal for this kingdom, and I will never truly be able to repay you, but it is to Felix and Sylvain that I owe the greater debt. They each have personally saved my life on the battlefield more times than anyone could ever count. While I will not order you to do anything, I would strongly suggest you do not disown your only living son. You have already lost one. Don't let yourself lose another."

With that, Dimitri nodded at his friends and walked out of the hall. Byleth did the same before following him. 

The Margrave inhaled deeply. "Sylvain, are you sure I can not change your mind about marrying a... man?

Sylvain shook his head fiercely before replying in a sure tone, "As I said, there is no power on this planet that could stop me from marrying Felix."

The Margrave set his jaw. "Sylvain, if I cannot sway you, then so be it. I will not defy the king and the archbishop by disowning you. You are free to make your own decisions now, even though I will never approve of them." He turned towards the door and walked away. With him, he carried away a burden Sylvain had carried for so long.

Sylvain turned to his fiance and grinned like the sun. Sweeping Felix off his feet, he pulled the shorter man into a laughing kiss. 

"We're really doing it, Fe. We're getting married."

"Yeah, Sylvain. Yeah we are."

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all, my friends are mad at me since I won't shut the hell up about Sylvix and Ferdibert. 
> 
> I haven't even told them about Doropetra yet.


End file.
